Page Chasers 4, Once Upon a Fixup
by GreenWallsOfArt
Summary: Richard and Chloe return, this time into the fairy tale world, to find someone who can help them return the compass back to its original state.
1. Mr Dewey's Advice

**Chapter 1**

It was time for the bell to ring. So the moment that the teacher opened the door, Richard Tyler, as well as the rest of the students, charged outside to the coat room. He took hold of his book bag, stuffing folders and books inside with such speed, you would think he was trying to be the first one outside.

Well, it was no surprise. It was a lovely day, so no doubt everyone would be trying to get out and play in the sun. Spring was an ideal time of year to do so, but Richard wasn't excited about playing outside, even though his friends had asked him to play ball.

Richard planned to ride to the library, which was located deep in the woods in the town park. His friend, Chloe, was supposed to meet him there this afternoon, for they had some serious matters to take care of.

Some days ago, when Richard had taken another journey into a book, he had accidentally taken Chloe along with him. She had proved a vital partner to have on this adventure, for the two children had entered _Alice in Wonderland_—a place that was not at all easy to navigate with its twisted logic and crazy characters. They had visited the tea table of the legendary Mad Hatter and March Hare, but had walked away with a disaster on their hands. The Hatter had taken an interest in Richard's magic compass and, in spilling tea on it, had broken it, so that Richard and Chloe couldn't easily get back home.

Chloe managed to surprise Richard once more, because after that dreadful fiasco, she had produced a little golden pendant that enabled them to return to the library. It was a magic gift, given to her by Mr. Dewey when she was a little child, which had enabled her to travel through books as easily as Richard could.

Richard had been grateful that Chloe had gotten them back home, and that she was now a part of his adventures, but there was still the matter of fixing his compass. It was the only way he could ever go inside books on his own again.

And hopefully now, since Mr. Dewey had given Richard the compass, he could give the children some answers as to how to bring the compass back to life.

At last, Richard navigated the trees, and parked his bike outside the library. He bounded up the steps, past the two harsh-looking stone lions, and pulled the doors open.

By the time the big oak doors had shut, Richard had made it to the study tables at the back. As usual, it wasn't very full, so he could easily spot Chloe's head of fiery hair among the mahogany tables.

He noticed her in one of the armchairs that circled the room, running to plop his book bag down beside her.

"Chloe!" he addressed her.

"Richard, hey!" she exclaimed, standing up from her chair. She adjusted her shirt, pulling out the golden pendant from beneath it. "Good, you're here. Come on. Let's get started."

"Lead the way," Richard said, following his friend back towards the front desk. Chloe went into a speed-walk, causing her red hair to bounce on her shoulders. Her head swayed a little to her step, and Richard had to stifle a little chuckle.

They reached the front lobby, where a giant, circular desk sat in the center. It was cluttered with old leather-bound volumes, paper, and an ancient computer monitor. An old man with grass-like white hair sat at a weathered swiveling chair, turning around to reach different objects on the desktop.

"Grandpa?" Chloe piped up, reaching her arms over the countertop to greet him.

Mr. Dewey looked over his shoulder, and his eyes glimmered like an owl's. "Oh, Chloe, my girl. Good to see you here! And you too, Richard, my boy." He gave the same, all-knowing smile to Richard, who managed to smile nervously back. "What can I do you for?"

"We have a question for you," Chloe began, as she removed her pendant from around her neck.

Mr. Dewey took note of the pendant as Chloe handed it to him. "Why, whatever can it be?" he asked. "There can't be anything wrong with your pendant, is there?"

"No, no, not with mine," Chloe answered. "It's Richard's compass."

Mr. Dewey almost dropped the pendant with the look that crossed his face. "Well, that's a whole other story," he remarked. "Richard, my boy, let me see."

Richard opened the flap of his book bag, and pulled out the tarnished compass. The silver surface was blemished red now from the rust, the marble of the compass's face stained with the tea the Hatter had spilled. Mr. Dewey took the compass as delicately as he would a child, looking it up and around, before he set it on the desktop beside Chloe's pendant.

"Please explain how this happened," Mr. Dewey said.

Both Richard and Chloe rested their elbows on the countertop of the desk, and spoke to Mr. Dewey of how they had entered Wonderland, but had accidentally caused the Hatter to spill his tea onto the compass. Mr. Dewey continued to examine the compass, and didn't speak until Richard and Chloe had finished.

Mr. Dewey exhaled through his nose, sitting back. "My, this is unfortunate," he murmured. "Well, I do not really see how I can fix this, children."

"What?" Richard blurted. "But, Mr. Dewey, you gave that compass to me. And, don't you think, since you gave Chloe her magic pendant, that you would know how the magic works?"

"My boy, it may surprise you, but I was not the one who created these instruments."

Richard and Chloe exchanged glances. "Well, then…who did make them, Grandpa?" Chloe wanted to know.

"That is something for me to know, and you to find out," replied Mr. Dewey. "Such mysteries can only be discovered within the pages of a book."

"Or, you could tell us in whispers instead," Richard pressed.

Mr. Dewey shook his head. "No, no, no, Richard. Not here," he said. "You children are the only ones I trust with the secrets behind the pendant and the compass. And besides, it is not my place to relay such things. You'll have to discover it for yourselves."

Richard frowned. "Well, gee, thanks, um, Mr. Dewey," he said, deflated. "But, can't you at least tell us where we should start?"

"You know just where to begin, my boy. The fiction section."

"Oh, of course, how could I forget?" Richard said, not hiding the sarcasm in his voice.

"Never fear," said Mr. Dewey. "You won't be alone in this venture, boy. Chloe shall help you every step of the way."

"Right," Chloe agreed. "And, you know, it's not like you can get into a book without me. At least, not until we fix the compass somehow."

"Chloe is right," Mr. Dewey remarked.

Richard sighed, as he reached for the compass on the desk. "Okay," he said. "But I'll need the compass if we're going to find someone who can help us."

"By all means." Mr. Dewey handed the compass to Richard, and the pendant back to Chloe, turning back to his work. "The best of luck to you both."

Richard and Chloe started to walk away from the desk. Chloe hung her pendant back around her neck, but Richard slumped his head in defeat.

"'The fiction section'," he said. "Right. He could have at least told us where we could begin."

"Quit with the pessimism already, Richard," Chloe scolded.

"In case you didn't notice already, I like direction, and order," Richard remarked. "I would like to know where to start—it would make things easier for both of us."

"Well, I can help you there," Chloe said. "We can start with a fairy tale volume from the fantasy aisles. There are all kinds of people we could meet in those stories."

Richard chuckled. "In my experiences, Chloe, the fairies and witches, and people like that, are usually the bad guys. They can't help us."

Chloe playfully slugged Richard on the shoulder. "You forgot about the fairy godmother. And the good fairy from _Sleeping Beauty. _There are all kinds of good, wise people we can look to in a fairy tale—they don't all need to be fairies or witches, you know."

"I trust you, Chloe," said Richard. "As I told you before, lead the way."

Chloe led them to a shelf that held some thick volumes with golden titles on the spines. She removed the first book from the shelf, and opened the yellowing pages to the table of contents. "I'll gladly be the leader for now, but when we get the compass back on track, you're stepping up with me," she told him.

Together then, Richard and Chloe scanned the titles of the fairy tales. They pointed out different ones, debating which ones would be the best to start with. Until finally, Chloe set the book on the floor, opening the pendant so it lay flat on the pages. When she was sure that Richard was ready, she pressed the button on her pendant, and the lid popped open, the clock hands starting to whirl madly.

In an instant, Richard got a feeling in his stomach like someone had shoved him in one direction. Chloe moved the same way, spinning in circles on her feet. The world blurred like they were looking at it through a foggy window. Abruptly, Richard and Chloe were pushed into each other, as if closed in by a tight space, everything melting all around them.

At last, the light went away, and slowly, things came back into focus.


	2. The Origin of the Compass

**Chapter 2**

Once Richard and Chloe could feel the world stilling around them, they rested their hands on their knees, taking in several breaths. Chloe bent back up carefully, to put her pendant back on.

"Gee," Richard whispered. "I'm never going to get used to going back and forth between worlds."

Chloe shook her head to clear her senses, taking a look around them. She found they had landed in the center of a large stone room. Men dressed in bloomers and doublets crossed the floor near them, speaking with women in large, puffy dresses that had huge, lacy collars. The ceiling was high up, from which hung flags of every color and tapestries of every kind of design. At the front of the room, there was a pair of long tables, where more of the nobility were sitting. And above them, two tall thrones sat, decorated in burgundy upholstery, occupied by a young couple. They were dressed in fine clothes—finer than any of the noblemen and ladies present—and upon both their heads, were golden crowns adorned with glittering gems.

Between their thrones, there was a crib, with a large awning that spilled over with pure white tulle. A lavender blanket draped over the edges of the crib, mixing with the tulle in a dramatic display. And on the crest of the crib, there was an ornately carved "R", surrounded by carvings of vines and rosebuds with thorns.

"It's amazing," Richard said, turning his head in a circle to observe the throne room.

"That's because this is supposed to be the christening of the baby princess," Chloe reminded him. "Hmm. I wonder why no one is looking at us. We stick out like a green apple in a strawberry field."

"Maybe that's why," said Richard, who pointed to the center of the throne room with a swift gasp.

Chloe followed Richard's pointed finger above them, where, just over the room, a collective group of people was descending upon the room. They all had lovely faces, with intricate markings upon their cheeks in many colors, to match their flowing robes. Their hair was cut into perfect bobs, in black, white, or yellow. The entire group had such a presence, that when they spread their arms to land on the floor, the room started in a storm of whispering.

"They're fairies," Chloe said. "We've got to get out of their way."

She and Richard speedily walked out of the room, and stopped at a pillar off to the side, while the mysterious fairies floated to the floor. Together, they turned, and curtsied before the king and queen before them. "Your Majesties," they said in unison.

"Welcome, friends," said the king, while he raised his arms. "My beloved queen and I are so pleased you could make it so far for this christening."

"Anything for the sweet princess," said one of the fairies. "May we take our seats?"

"By all means," answered the king.

Then, the fairies got into two straight lines, facing each other, as they took one collective step off the ground. But it didn't look as though they actually had seats—they were just floating there, like they were being suspended from wires.

The king stood up to address the great crowd, of both nobility and fey. "My people," he called, "it gives me tremendous pleasure to see each and every one here today, to see the christening of out lovely daughter, the Princess Rosamond…"

"This could take a while," Chloe said to Richard, pointing at the king with a sigh.

"And the fairies are floating so high up," said Richard. "How will we reach them? How will we get their attention?"

Chloe looked thoughtfully at the fairies, twirling a bit of her hair on her finger. "Well, I don't think we'll see them again once all the gifts have been given to the princess. So, of course, we'll have to catch them while they are presenting their gifts."

"Won't they get mad, if we interrupt?" Richard asked, worried.

"Not unless we talk out loud to the open," Chloe answered. "What else is whispering good for?"

"Okay," Richard said, inching out from by the pillar. "We just need to be careful."

Both Richard and Chloe stepped out so that they could observe the fairies. In the meantime, Chloe crossed over to the one nearest them—one wearing a blue robe, with black hair, and blue markings on her cheeks.

"Um…excuse me?" she whispered, cupping one hand around her mouth to project her voice.

The fairy turned her head, looking in all directions before, at last, she met Chloe's imploring gaze. She seemed taken aback to be seeing Chloe, but she smiled sincerely.

"Little child," she said. "Why, what is it?"

"We would like your help," Chloe explained.

The fairy's eyes turned down when she heard Chloe speak. "I wish I could, but at the moment, we are presenting our gifts to the baby princess. It would be disrespectful to leave during such festivities."

"Oh, we mean nothing bad towards Rosamond," Richard butted in quickly. "It's just one question."

"One question, you say?" the fairy said.

"Yes, if you would please," Chloe clarified.

The fairy turned back to the table, where another fairy on the opposite side was offering her gift to the princess's crib. With a growing smile, the fairy in the blue robe nodded her head to the children.

"Very well, then, I have your word," she said. "I am the last of the fairies to give her gift, so I shall come with you."

"We promise to make it fast," said Chloe, as she started back for the pillar. Richard and the fairy weren't far behind, so they huddled together where they couldn't be easily noticed.

Promptly, Richard took the compass from his book bag, presenting it to the fairy. She looked at it, turning it every which way, even shaking it out like an old gift box, before she held it normally in her hands.

"A most interesting device," she said, looking it over again. "It's interesting you would be carrying this around. It's broken, a little."

Chloe snorted, rather than laughed. "Yes, we know. But we would like to know if you could help us." She slowed down as she spoke, seeming to get the feeling that this fairy would be as helpful as Mr. Dewey had been.

The fairy continued to look over the compass, as if she had forgotten what it was in the last few moments. She cocked one eyebrow, but a smile started to grow on her face.

"I've never seen a device of this caliber," she stated. "But I know that it was once magic. And that it belonged in the expertise of the Pagemaster." She bowed her head as she mentioned the name.

"How can you tell?" Richard asked. His eyes closed to slits, and he reached for the compass, which the fairy let him take. She pointed to the rusted silver lid, which Richard rubbed over carefully with his hand. But Chloe just looked confused.

"It's on the inside," the fairy hinted, as she stuck her fingers under the lid. With a crack, the lid opened, and the damaged compass face, and the cracking clock face flapped upwards. With a gentle hand, the fairy pulled up the clock face, as Richard just gaped in wide-eyed amazement. He thought that the clock face was where the device ended.

It turned out that, below the clock, was the engraving of an intricate, beautiful symbol. There was a single book, surrounded by vines and snakes, curving in and around each other, so that Richard, nor Chloe, could find where one part began and another ended.

"You see that?" asked the fairy. "That is the symbol of the Pagemaster. It's branded to show that this is a creation of his magic."

"How do you know that?" Richard wanted to know.

"I have connections," the fairy explained. "With the Pagemaster, that is. We all do. We all recognize that symbol when we see it, for it is an emblem of the sole ruler of all that keeps our worlds together." She smiled, patting her hand on the compass in Richard's hands. "That is why it is so extraordinary seeing that such a device came into your hands. An object with the Pagemaster's emblem means that it was either created at his hands, or belongs directly to him." She paused, putting a hand to her mouth in surprise. "Which brings me to another point. However was it that this device came into your possession?"

Chloe touched the compass at the same place as Richard and the fairy, and she swept her finger along the surface slowly and curiously. "The…Pagemaster?" she asked, forgetting the fairy's question in her raging thoughts. "I…I've heard of him before, but I didn't know that he was an inventor."

The fairy nodded. "You could say that, although it's not the precise word. The Pagemaster is a powerful being, child—far greater than any witch or fairy could hope to achieve becoming. I haven't met him, but we all know who he is when we hear his name. That is how much power he holds in this world."

"Then…" Richard let his voice trail off, considering the possibilities. He remembered meeting the Pagemaster for the first time not long ago, though he couldn't remember there being much helpful magic to the figure. All the Pagemaster had done was send Richard into terrifying situations that nearly got him killed, and without many ways of escaping. Of course, Richard understood now the purpose of that journey, but he didn't fully appreciate the dangers he was unexpectedly put through. That was why they had to try and fix the compass—otherwise, some of the helpful magic to going into this world would be lost.

"Then…could you take us to him?" Richard finally said.

"I apologize, my dears, but I must be going!"

Richard and Chloe barely registered the fairy's words in their ears, when the fairy vanished. There was nothing left of her in front of them, except for some sparkles of fairy dust.


End file.
